In the seventies and eighties, mathematics was at the forefront of educational technologies. However, as computers became ubiquitous, and then the social media widespread, mathematics remained the domain of visionaries and geeks. We have identified several trends expressing this problem, and started to analyze their reasons. The main trend is the lag of mathematics behind other subjects in class-centered web 2.0 communities for children, and an even larger lag in informal, recreational communities. Children’s mathematics remains very much confined to classes, homework, and standardized tests, or activities that closely imitate them. Most class-centered mathematical communities are not sustainable, in that they dissolve after the class ends, even if the artifacts stay available online. Many existing sustainable math-oriented communities are intellectually elitist and demographically exclusive. The roadblocks include the traditional lack of authoring in most math curricula, low mathematical literacy among the general population, math anxieties and math aversion, and technical difficulties in online mathematical communication. We are cautiously optimistic about the latest changes in the Math 2.0 tools and communities.
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Math 2.0 - Communities, tools and roadblocks in the first decade of the millennium
Table of Contents
This relates to a network of "Math 2.0 people." I expect contributions from the network - Maria D.
Chapter Abstracts (entire directory)
Abstract
In the seventies and eighties, mathematics was at the forefront of educational technologies. However, as computers became ubiquitous, and then the social media widespread, mathematics remained the domain of visionaries and geeks. We have identified several trends expressing this problem, and started to analyze their reasons. The main trend is the lag of mathematics behind other subjects in class-centered web 2.0 communities for children, and an even larger lag in informal, recreational communities. Children’s mathematics remains very much confined to classes, homework, and standardized tests, or activities that closely imitate them. Most class-centered mathematical communities are not sustainable, in that they dissolve after the class ends, even if the artifacts stay available online. Many existing sustainable math-oriented communities are intellectually elitist and demographically exclusive. The roadblocks include the traditional lack of authoring in most math curricula, low mathematical literacy among the general population, math anxieties and math aversion, and technical difficulties in online mathematical communication. We are cautiously optimistic about the latest changes in the Math 2.0 tools and communities.Contributors
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Created: Jul 16, 2009 2:33 pm
Last revised by: MariaDroujkova on: Jul 16, 2009 2:33 pm (UTC)
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